Why your toilet bowl keeps losing water despite no visible leaks
In short: A plumbing trap is designed to hold a water seal to block sewer gases, but several hidden mechanical and environmental factors can cause that water to vanish. This video explains the physics behind these common household mysteries.
Plumbing expert Richard Trethewey identifies five distinct reasons for water loss in traps. These range from mechanical issues like 'oscillation'—where high winds outside pull air into pipes and bounce water out of the bowl—to architectural flaws like 's' traps, which are illegal in nearly every state because high water velocity pulls the seal out. Other culprits include improper venting, where a washing machine might pull air through a toilet, and capillary action caused by objects wicking water out of the bowl.
Even simple environmental factors play a role, such as evaporation in particularly dry homes. Understanding these mechanisms helps homeowners distinguish between a structural plumbing failure and a simple need for better ventilation or a more stable water seal.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: How a Plumbing Trap Can Lose Water | Ask This Old House
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